Apparatus and process for treating hydrocarbons



June 16,1931. 3 EGLQFF APPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR TREATING HYDRQCARBONSOriginal Filed Dec. 4, 1919 Patented June 16, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE GUSTAV EGLOFF, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OILPRODUCTS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTAAPPARATUS AND PROCESS FOR TREATING HYDROCARBONS Application filedDecember 4, 1919, Serial No. 342,405. Renewed May 12, 1927.

My invention relates to a process for treat-- i'ng hydrocarbons andrefers more particularly to a process for reheating and vaporizing thereflux condensate.

Among the salient objects of the invention are to provide a process inwhich the heat of the still is most economically and ef-. ficiently usedin vaporizing the reflux condensate; to provide a process in which theheavier reflux condensate or that having a high boilingpoint is returnedto the cracking tubes or a portion of the still where it will receive agreater amount of heat than the lighter or lower boiling point refluxwhich is returnedto the vapor or expansion chamher; to provide a processin which the heavier or higher boiling point hydrocarbons are returnedto the charging pipe and are there mixed with the incoming oil chargeand are subjected to more heat than the lighter refluxes which arereturned to the vapor chamber; to provide a process which will moreeffectively crackthe reflux condensate thereby obviatinglto a greatextent the difliculties caused by t e heavier refluxes collecting in theexpansion or vapor chamber and retarding the cracking process; toprovide a novel form of apparatus for carrying, out the process and ingeneral to provide novel improvements of the character referred to.

In the drawing accompanying and illustrating my invention, is shown aside view, partly in section, of an oil still showing my method ofreturning the refluxes.

Referring to the drawing, the still 1, consisting of a furnace portion2, heated by a burner 3, cracking tubes 4, situated above the furnace,and expansion tube or vapor chamber 5 mounted above the cracking tubes,receives the raw oil charge from any convenient source, through chargingpipe 6, pump 7and pipe 6a. he oil, after passing the cracking zoneenters the va or chamber 5 and the vapors therefrom rise t rough vaporpipe 3 to an aerial condenser or dephlegmatorQ from which the lighter.gases pass over to the water condenser'lO through gooseneck ill'and coil12, thence to the receiver 13 wherethe pressure on the system may beregulated by the control valve 15 and valve 16' and the distillate drawnoff from time to time through drawofl' 16. A pressure gauge 14 denotesthe pressure on the system. A gauge 17 furnishes a means by which theamount'of distillate may be ascertained. The lighter refluxes arereturned from the dephlegmator to the vapor chamber 5 by means of thepipe 18 which is controlled by valve 19 and check valve 19' The'heaviercondensates which begin to come off as soon as the vapors leave thevapor chamber 5 are returned to the oil charging pipe 6a through thereflux pipe 20 which is regulated by valve 21. It will be understoodthat the pipe 20 is of sufficient length to afford a substantial headpressure. A residuum drawoff pipe 22 with a valve 23 therein, furnishesa means of drawing off the heavy sludge from time to time.

' The still is adapted to run continuously, the chargebeing forced intothe still through charging pipe 6 and 6a, through the pump 7, and theresiduum tapped off from time to time through the drawoflt' pipe 22.

This mode of distributing the reflux condensates is a marked improvementin the utilization of the heat of the furnace in their re-trea-tment. Bythis means, the high boiling point refluxes which begin to condense outas soon as the vapor leaves the vapor chamber, are returned to thecharging pipe and enter the cracking tube with the raw oil charge. 7

The apparatus is shown with a single vapor chamber but it is understoodthat where large quantities of oil are to be handled, a plurality ofunits such as that shown in the drawings may be used or instead of onevapor chamber a plurality of chambers may be used to accommodate theincreased, amount of charging stock which is to be handled.

The following illustrative run may be given: Gas oil of 32 Baum from themidcontinent field, such as the Kansas or Oklahoma field is heated to anoil temperature in the cracking zone to from 7 to 900 F. and issubjected to: a'vapor. pressure of from 100 to 150 lbs, From 30% to 40%of gas oil may thusbe converted into gasoline having an endpoint of 400to 450 F.

An outlet pipe 9 in the lower portion of the dephlegmator, controlled byvalve 9" serves as a drawofi for the reflux when it is desired to drawthe reflux into a storage tank direct instead of returning it to thesystem hrough the return pipe 18. This valve 9" together with thepressure valve 15 in the receiver, the valve 23 in the residuum line andthe valve 24 in the charging line control the pressure in the system.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process for treating hydrocarbons consisting in subjecting the oilin a tube and vapor chamber still to heat to crack the oil, passing thevapors into a dephlegmator, re- Iurnin heavier reflux condensates tothat part 0 the still where the highest temperature prevails, thelighter refluxes to the vapor chamber and passing the lighter vapors toa water condenser and receiver for condensaion and collection,maintaining a vapor pressure upon thevoil during distillation andcondensation.

2. A process for treating hydrocarbons consisting in subjecting the oilin a tube and rapor chamber still to heat to crack the oil, passing thevapors into a dephlegmator, returning the heavier reflux condensates tothe cracking tubes in the still, the lighter reflux condensates to theexpansion or vapor chamber and passing the lighter vapors to a watercondenser and receiver for condensation and collection, maintaining avapor pressure upon the oil during distillation and condensation.

3. In an apparatus for treatinghydrocar- Dons, the combination with astill, consisting of a heating means, cracking tubes and expansionchamber, of a dephlegmator, condenser, and receiver, means of returningthe heavier condensates to the cracking tubes .LIld the lightercondensates to the expansion chamber, means for directing the lightervapors to the condenser and receiver, and means of maintaining aregulated vapor pressure upon the system.

4. A process for treating hydrocarbons consisting in subjecting the oilin heating and vaporizing zones to cracking conditions, passing thecracked products through a vapor line to a refluxing stage,simultaneously re turning the heavier reflux to the heating zone I23ndthe lighter reflux to the vaporizing cham- 5. A process fortreatinghydrocarbons consisting in subjecting the oil in heating andvaporizing zones to cracking conditions, passing the cracked productsthrough a vapor line to a refluxing sta e, simultaneously returning theheavier re 11x to the heating zone and the lighter reflux to thevaporizing chamber, removing the more refractory oils from the vaporchamber and maintaining a vapor pressure upon the oil duringdistillation. 1

6. A process for treating hydrocarbons consisting in subjecting the oilin heating sure during treatment.

GUSTAV EGLOFF.

